The Supreme Court in Scotland today (15 November) delivered its judgement that minimum unit pricing (MUP) for alcohol is legal, a step which charity Alcohol Concern says will improve the health and wellbeing of thousands of people. Harmful drinking is the biggest avoidable cause of death for people aged 15-49 in the UK. It also […]

Today the Supreme Court has ruled that Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) for alcohol is legal. This is a momentous decision, following five years of legal challenge led by the Scotch Whisky Association. It means that the Scottish Government can now implement MUP and allow a potentially game-changing alcohol policy to finally be introduced. After years […]

Alcohol Research UK today (18 November) announced its disappointment with the decision by the Scotch Whisky Association to challenge the Scottish Court of Session’s ruling on minimum unit pricing (MUP) for alcohol. Dr James Nicholls, Director of Research and Policy Development at Alcohol Research UK, said: “We are disappointed that the Scotch Whisky Association is […]

Alcohol Research UK welcomes the Scottish Court of Session’s decision that minimum unit pricing (MUP) for alcohol is legal. The Court ruling confirms that MUP brings potential benefits across the population but is especially well-targeted at those drinking at the most harmful levels. MUP was approved by the Scottish Parliament in 2012, but has been […]

Alcohol dependency is a complex problem to which there are no simple solutions. There are many routes into dependency, many ways in which it manifests itself and many approaches to treatment. However, dependent drinkers also require access to large, affordable volumes of alcohol. Recent research by Professor Jonathan Chick and colleagues shows that, in Scotland […]

A letter in Clinical Medicine, based on an Alcohol Research UK- funded study of heavy drinkers in Scotland, suggests that the majority of super-strength cider sold in Scotland may be consumed by dependent drinkers.

Whether alcohol tax rises would be an acceptable and effective alternative could determine the legality under EU law of Scotland’s law permitting a minimum unit price for alcohol. This analysis predicts tax rises would curb consumption and save lives, but not without perhaps unacceptably hitting the pockets of non-harmful drinkers.

Research and Development Grant

The purpose of this study was to describe the purchasing patterns and consumption behaviour of heavy-drinking individuals who had been harmed by their alcohol intake. As some of the heaviest drinkers, these are the group likely to be most acutely impacted by the introduction of Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP). The consumption practices of very heavy drinkers is normally poorly described by traditional population surveys. Therefore, in the Scottish policy context especially, targetted research was required to better inform discussions of the potential impact of MUP on the heaviest consumers of alcohol.

Professor Jonathan Chick and Dr Jan Gill discuss findings from their ongoing research into drinking behaviours in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Their research supports the evidence that those drinking at the most harmful levels purchase the cheapest alcohol – particularly white cider and cheap vodka.

President Obama’s former drugs advisor, Professor Keith Humphreys, discusses the role of science in developing alcohol policy. Arguing that policy should be about values, not simply science, he presents three areas in which evidence can, nonetheless, strongly inform the debate. In particular, he calls for a swifter adoption of mandatory sobriety schemes, the expansion of treatment and recovery for dependent drinkers, and the introduction of minimum unit pricing.